What Does It Cost to Transfer to the Post 9/11 GI Bill?

Q: If my husband decides to transfer his GI Bill to the Post 9/11 GI Bill, does he have to pay any fee to do that? Thank you.

A: I’ve been getting this question a lot lately; I’m not sure where it is coming from all of a sudden but as with most rumors, it is not true. Transferring from one GI Bill to another is free.

One question that must be first answered is his Post 9/11 GI Bill eligibility. Minimum eligibility of 40% is acquired by serving on a Title 10 order for a minimum of 90 days after September 10, 2001. Maximum eligibility (100%) comes with at least three years of service or more on the same type order and after the same date.

So if he meets the eligibility requirement, all he has to do to transfer to the Post 9/11 GI Bill is go to the eBenefits website and submit VA Form 22-1990. In return, he will get a Certificate of Eligibility that he will need when enrolling in school as a GI Bill student.

On his certificate, it will show the type of GI Bill he has, how many months of entitlement and the date they expire.

It should be noted that if the person only has for example 12 months of MGIB benefit remaining and applies for Post 9/11, he will be effectively converting his remaining MGIB benefit into Post 9/11 and will only get 12 months.

If all MGIB benefit is exhausted first, he/she can apply for up to 12 months of additional Post 9/11 benefit – not to exceed 48 months total.